Face off - Inky Faces

This is just a quick post.  This week has been quite busy due to a couple of family issues.  All is well, I think.

So, previously I posted an "Inky Face" that I did in an online class.  I have two more of those little faces to share with you today. 

When making this lady, I was adding more color and added a shadow/halo on her profile.

With ink, it is not possible to correct that.  So there she is, errors and all.

Perhaps this fellow is the "Jolly Giant" - he isn't exactly green. Ha ha. 

The pigment in this granulated slightly, but I like the depth it adds to the face.

If you would like to take the same "class" it is on CreativeBug and with this link you should get a free month.   The class I watched is  Inky Faces with Lisa Congdon: 8/14/18  There is a date with the title because the class was recorded live.

I am linking up  to the Friday Face Off (hosted by DVArtist.)

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Eastern Phoebe Babies

A pair of Eastern Phoebes has built a nest on top of one of my outdoor lights.  I was hoping they were gone as I see the parents less these days.  So I took a small ladder out and climbed far enough to take a photo.  The babies are in the nest, so I will wait a while longer for them to fledge and move on. 

At this stage they are rather ugly creatures. 

They will grow up just a bit to be a prettier little songbird

Plus they are insect eating birds. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Quick Check-in and Face

This week I went to a will clinic held by the State Bar association at my public library.  I now have a will and a living will.  I am glad to have those in place.  It was an interesting couple of hours sitting in the room with all of my quilt display.  Plus, one of the attorneys bought a small piece for her mother-in-law. 

While I was there, the head librarian asked me  if I could possibly leave the display up through June as the planned artist had backed out.  Of course I said yes. 

One of the things I have done recently was to take an online class about creating face shapes with ink and then adding the features with pen.  I didn't use the ink suggested, but I did use my Inktense blocks and a paintbrush.  It worked well, I think. 

I liked the outcome.  I think that I will play with this method more.  

If you would like to take the same "class" it is on CreativeBug and with this link you should get a free month.   The class I watched is  Inky Faces with Lisa Congdon: 8/14/18  There is a date with the title because the class was recorded live.

I am linking up  to the Friday Face Off (hosted by DVArtist.)

Have a great day!

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Painted Shibori

I recently saw some lovely hand dyed shibori fabrics and was immediately in "lust" with them.  It reminded me that I my "someday" list had "try making shibori fabric with fabric paint rather than dye." Needless to say,  it had been on the list for some time, and I said "Okay, today is the day." Of course that extended to two or three days of experimentation.   

You should know that shibori takes a bit of preparation before you dye (or paint) it.  In one class I took the teacher suggested using rubber bands for the method I was using to help with the fabric compression. Other teachers suggest using twine.  So, I did some of both.  I started with the rubber bands because I couldn't remember where I had put my twine. Ha ha. Later I found the twine and used it for one of these.  I honestly can't tell which was which. 

 

Here are my resulting fabrics.  First is this green pieces, that was compressed a bit too tightly at one end. That resulted in some white spaces remaining. 

 

Next up is a piece that was pre-dyed with some purple and blue. However, most of the fabric was still white and I was planning to over-dye it, so it was perfect for this experiment. For this one the cloth was dampened prior to painting. 

I really love the colors peeking through. 

Next up is a piece on which I decided to use two color of paint.  Seeing all of the white, I can assure you that this was on dry cloth that was tightly compressed.  The paint doesn't bleed into the compressed fabric when it is dry and nicely compressed. 

I love the effect of the two colors both applied while the cloth was compressed.

The next piece looks a bit disappointing compared to the previous one.  The lighting wasn't good for this photo.  The fabric is actually while with just the blue paint on it.  This will work well for water or maybe a distant forest if it is turned ninety degrees. 

Overall, I would say that my experiment was a success for the most part.  I will certainly try doing more of this type of painted shibori.  I think any of them would work well as a "filler block" or part of a pieced block.  The should also work well in art quilting if I find the right place for them.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Faces and a bit more of the Party Quilt

Greetings, thanks for dropping by.  Today I have a couple of older sketches of faces for the Friday Face Off (hosted by DVArtist.)  Last week I used a male face, so today I am using a couple of female faces from the same time period. 

These ladies are more sketches from imagination and memory.  They are not anyone in particular, but simply my creations. 

Next up are two more sections of the Party Quilt that I am slowly creating. 

You have seen part of this in the past.  When the photo was taken, this were laid together while I was 

making decisions as to how it would be joined. 

This next piece started as a wonky square in a square block.(red, blue, yellow, lavender.) 

That block was layered with a solid piece of batik and cut on a rough diagonal.

The pieces were switched and joined into two blocks. 

Then those blocks were joined. 

I went on a search for a photo of the block before it was sliced, but to no avail.

Here is the result of the joined pieces.

It is "weird" and I love it. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

The Party Continues

I am continuing to make pieces for the "Party Quilt" Here are a couple for you to see. 

I like to add in a few curved pieces to add feel of motion to the piecing. 

There is only one curve that I see in this one. But there is one of my improv pineapple blocks in it also.

I really love all the batiks and hand-dyed fabrics in these chunks. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Piecing and Musing

Welcome!  I have been making progress on the "party quilt" that I am making.  I call it a party quilt because there is a lot going on and not everything is organized or orderly.  It is just a lot of fun. Like a party there are groups clustered together - occasionally someone wanders into a different group.  

I have shown some "chunks" already.  This quilt will be made in sections - and there is very little planning at this point.  Here are a couple of chunks.  One may be somewhat of a repeat, but this time each one is all one piece. 

P.S.  they may not be laid out the same as when I showed pieces just laid together. 

I have this on a sheet of watercolor paper for the white background, it makes the colors render better in a photo. 

Here are three smaller pieces:

Confession: These are not neatly pressed because they get made and piled up until I want to work on each of them again. If they need pressed before sewing on more pieces or joining them, they are pressed again at that point.  (My piles are not neat and orderly when I am creating.) 

And now, for the Friday Face off crew, here is a sketch that I am guessing I made from a live "model" who didn't have a clue I was sketching him.  The reason I think this is that it appears to have been sketched very quickly before the subject moved too much. Also, he is facing left, contrary to my normal direction.  There are minimal lines defining the eyes and his glasses. 

You can also see that I defined the shape of his mouth and chin with blocky lines. 

That is another clue that it was from life and done quickly. 

I am linking this to the Friday Face Off hosted by Nicole at  DVArtist.   Clicking the link will take you to her blog.  It is great fun to see how various people interpret the challenge. 

When you are creating anything, do not think about (and fear) the things that "could go wrong." Instead, rejoice in the things that could go right. Trust and obey your creative instincts. Quell the fear and doubt. You were created in an image of a CREATOR. Find your creative gift and use it joyfully. 

Gene Black

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

A Chunk of a Top

Last Wednesday I showed some pieces that I am working on.  Since then I have added more and created a few small chunks. Those were made to let pieces fit together fairly well. Ha ha.  Sometimes I make them too big and need to trim away some edges.  That is okay. 

Today (Saturday)  I joined several pieces so that I have one big chunk.  There are still other smaller chunks waiting a turn to grow. 

The goal is another quilt similar to "Party Time"  - made with lots of parts that never made it into quilts yet.  Of course I added pieces using up more scraps.  

Here is the quilt "Party Time"  

This quilt is made in sections and joined using a technique I learned from Marguerite Mcmanus in her book "Crazy Shortcut Quilts."  I made one using the book and then adapted the technique for quilting a quilt in sections and then joining them. 

I love this quilt and have had it on my bed for some time now.  I could probably sell it (or could have already sold it) if it were put in the exhibit.  But, I love it and it is mine for now. 

I know that I have more pineapple blocks hiding somewhere and I need to find them and add some of them into this wild mishmash of a jubilantly happy quilt. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Placemats and Faces

Good Friday morning.  As I am writing this, I feel no signs of another kidney stone -yaay.  I hope I am done with them.  I do believe that I counted a total of seven over the 12 days of misery. 

To celebrate I "chased a squirrel" and used a piece of sun-printed fabric that I got from a friend.  With it, I made two placemats for another friend.  I had previously made him a couple but they shrank badly in the wash.  (I think I quilted too much on them.) 

I think that the fun gear designs in the center make them perfect for a guy's table.  I used some of my own hand dyed fabrics, a dark purple solid, and a batik for the binding.  

Now a couple of throw-back sketches from yet another sketch book that I found while cleaning out some things. 

This guy is probably straight out of my imagination. 

This little old school teacher is also from my imagination.  

As both of those have faces,  I am linking this to the Friday Face Off hosted by Nicole at  DVArtist.   Clicking the link will take you to her blog.  It is great fun to see how various people interpret the challenge. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

A Bit of Sewing

This has been an "interesting" week.  I think that I passed the 6th kidney stone this morning. That makes 6 in 12 days. Sheesh.   I was scheduled to work as usher for a Broadway touring show, but the onset of #5 caused me to call and tell them that I could not come in.  I have to say that I think only the first one was a big one. Or it could be that I am learning to deal with the pain better. I have not managed to catch or see any of these, but I have felt each of them moving along the ureter.  As I am writing this, I feel a possible #7 coming down the line. Hopefully it is small and will move quickly.  

During the "lulls" in the pain, I have started sewing some random pieces together to start another wild scrappy quilt.  There are three separate sections in the photo. While I put them so that they almost look like one big piece;  they probably will not end up together. 

While I was at Mom's, I went to the mailbox for her. As I neared the road I saw something moving at the edge of the road, near the mailbox.  I slowed down and made some noise. These two raised up their heads and started to leave.  I said "What are those?"

So I took the photo and showed mom when I was back inside. She had no clue either. 

Hmmm.... Let me try Google lens!  It focused in on the bird at the right.  The results said:
Helmeted Guinea fowl.

Of course, I was curious, seeing them for the first time. I read several articles. 

You will notice that this is a couple. The one on the right was trailing behind. I noticed that he/she was walking with a slight limp.  I suspect it has a damaged foot.  I have read that they mate for life. So I suspect this is why there were only two of them, as usually they stay in flocks. Perhaps they got left behind. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

UGH!

Since I have been missing a week already, I decided I should post so you all know I am alive. 

Last Saturday I started the day just fine - or so I thought. Then as I was doing my morning routine things, I turned around and had a pain in my lower left back.  It was sharp.  What?!?!

I progressed and moved around to the front and "OWWWWwwww, @#$#@#!!!!"  I had to go put myself horizontal on  my bed. I thought I was dying.  So many things wandered through my mind.  Had my colon blocked?  Was it getting ready to burst?  

Luckily I have family nurses and even a doctor/intern.  I called one of the nurses (sister in law) and asked for advice.  As soon as I finished describing how it began, she said "You have just described a kidney stone."    UGH! This was my first ever and I had no idea the agony folks go through with these. 

My brother came and took me to the ER (not the local one, but one where there was a urologist on call) there I got seen quickly.  An IV was put in, and after a bit I was given something to prevent nausea,  something else, and morphine for the pain.  Once it kicked in, life was tolerable and I got a CT scan.  The ER Doc said that the stone was 3 mm - and said it was small.  So I was eventually sent home for it to pass. (with scrips for more meds.) 

I have survived, but I fear a second one is coming. I have a dull pain in the same place on my back. UGH!  For once, I am hoping I just slightly overdid it the one day I felt good (Thursday) and strained a muscle. 

Meanwhile, today I am supposed to go in an refresh my library exhibit.  I am thinking that will end up being minimal.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

A Quickie Post

This has been a busy week- family stuff, yard work, etc.  My exhibit at the local Public Library has been extended through May.  Now I need to get there and do some rearranging and refreshing of the display.  I also have three more quilts that I will take and possibly change out some.  A few pieces have gone to new homes, also.  

Here is a quilt that is still available and is one of my favorites: Starry Night in Alabama. 

We took the quilt to a local park for photos and met this adorable puppy and his owner.  So we got him to pose with the quilt.   This is the photo from my website. 

Since there is a lovely "doggy face" I am linking this to the Friday Face Off at Nicole's blog. 
Have a wonderful day! 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Hand-carved Stamps: Faces

Over ten years ago, I started carving rubber stamps to use in my art work.  Carving a stamp allows you to have something that is very individual to use.  Once you have carved a rubber stamp it can be used as a type of signature in your work.   I have used my hand carved stamps with stamp pads, paint and even with fabric paint to make my own fabric designs. 

Of course, I had to try faces - even way back then.  After all, every artist should try a self portrait of some kind. 

So here is my first carved "self portrait stamp"

Here is one of a lady, this was done from a photo that I digitally edited. 

This is Sarah, she was a blogger at the time 

I carved the stamp. 

Finally, another self portrait - once my skills had improved a bit. 

I have a plastic pencil box full of my hand carved stamps. 

Another use I have found for them is to stamp a design onto polymer clay. 

I once made pendants with a stamped design and sold a few. 

I even did a simple tutorial video on how to carve a stamp.  

As I write this it is only showing a gray box. I hope it embeds the video. 

The video is on YouTube HERE

 I am linking this to the Friday Face Off hosted by Nicole at  DVArtist.   Clicking the link will take you to her blog.  It is great fun to see how various people interpret the challenge. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

 Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Friday Face Off - Mme LaFleur

Mme LaFleur is finished.  She will be mounted on an 8" by 10" canvas for hanging.  If you missed the previous post, she is the aunt of "Flower Girl" and always wears a flower headdress as a way to support her unusual niece. 

 I am linking this to the Friday Face Off hosted by Nicole at  DVArtist.   Clicking the link will take you to her blog.  It is great fun to see how various people interpret the challenge. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Mademoiselle LaFleur - a start

On Monday, I decided to start another face while I was (not-so) patiently waiting for the mail to arrive.  Here is the point I got to while I was waiting.  There is still a bit of work to go. 

For this face, I decided to try some Inktense pencils for some of the features -and to adjust the color of some of the fabrics.  At this point, all of the facial features are made with the pencils.  I will of course be adding stitches for more definition.  Some white paint will be added to put a small highlight in the eyes. 

The red flower headdress is made of another piece that I started and was not happy with the composition. Luckily I had just fuse-tacked the pieces in place, so most of them were able to be salvaged.  I think they made a nice headdress.  Perhaps you remember this lady's niece, "Flower Girl"

She was my first in the series of faces.  I had made one face prior, but I don't count that one in the series.  Flower Girl actually has flowers in place of her hair. Mme. LaFleur wears a flower headdress to support her unusual niece.  

I can certainly see that my style and my skill has increased as I have continued to make these faces. 

However, I am thinking that perhaps I need to start a new series.  I just need an idea that sparks my creativity. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

A nice article

A reporter from the local news approached me about doing an interview.  The occasion of course is my exhibit in the local public library. 

As the article is behind a paywall,  I have copied part of the article to share with you.  The quilts shown are all made by me. 

‘Stepping Up’ is an illusionary quilt by Gene Black.Submitted photo

Quilt display at library

“Where to Retire” was the Military Officers of America Association’s lead article last month. However, decisions on climate, cost of living and nearness to the beach were never factors for Gene Black on where to retire 15 years ago. He simply walked to his loom, a place he has cherished for years.

A native Annistonian, Black has been busy quilting and weaving for the past 15 years. His artistry, fabric and thread have spun out numerous pieces, one stitch at a time. These works are on view in the Ayers Room in the Anniston Public Library. The walls are filled with quilts, on a variety of subjects — even the circus.

“This art has always interested me,” Black said. It is not only a hands-on art, he adds, but a craft. The smallest pieces in his exhibit line-up have faces as centerpieces, and are framed. He now has several looms for his ongoing hobby.

“I’m able to create and combine colors so that they look happy together,” he said.

Black’s career was working in the State Department of Health. When his co-worker Judy Smith taught a class on basic quilting, he was quick to sign up. A Gee’s Bend quilting class, with these quilters as teachers, also served as an encouraging milestone several years ago. The classes were taught at an Episcopal Church folk art retreat near Jasper, Ala. While attending an international conference in Atlanta, Black was able to learn techniques from Japanese quilters.

‘Hummingbird’s Delight’ is a quilt featured in the display at the Anniston Public Library.Submitted photo

Viewers have seen Black’s work from time to time. “Hummingbird’s Delight” has been the most popular piece. “It is as near perfect as I have accomplished,” the artist said, explaining that it required appliqué besides piecing. The most unusual piece is “Absurd Bird,” located on the back wall. Also, one of his illusory works, “Stepping Up,” causes us to pause: if turned upside down, it appears to be the same.

His exhibit showcases handwork, hard work and heritage. Both of his grandmothers were quilters. But most importantly, the display is a re-telling of a most enjoyable retirement. It will be up through April 24. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Time Slips By, Friday Face Off

Time has slipped by and the month of March will quickly be a memory.  My life has been busy with other things that just aren't fun to post about. 

For this post let's take a look at my newest quilted face, art quilt. 

Cameron

This is Cameron - I purposely used an ambiguous name as I can't decide if Cameron is male or female. And Cameron isn't telling me. 

 One friend quickly chose to say "he" in talking about it.  Ha ha.  I think we often decide things based on the   "lens" of our own experiences. 

For this one I chose to use both a painted cloth for the background fabric AND a painted canvas for the backing behind the quilt.  The colors seemed to play very well together.  Truthfully, I liked the canvas but could never find a focal point -it just seemed bland. But it was perfect for this little quilt.  AND I didn't have to do any extra painting on the canvas. I call that a win-win situation.  Also, this uses the idea I got from the Paul Klee painting, "Old Woman" simply using the line and fabric cut to delineate the nose.  While Klee's painting had glasses for the eyes, I chose to simply abstract the eyes a bit, using a batik with  a swirl pattern that was fussy cut for each eye.  The mouth is a print fabric that is also fussy cut to simulate pursed lips. 

 I am linking this to the Friday Face Off hosted by Nicole at  DVArtist.   Clicking the link will take you to her blog.  It is great fun to see how various people interpret the challenge. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.